Manually operated steering wheels are used to control the travel direction of vehicles.
Moreover, force-feedback is known from the field of simulator technology and is used to realistically represent forces on operating elements, which occur during the operation of machines and which must be applied and/or overcome by the operator.
In many vehicles, the operating elements are mechanically connected to a machine part. For example, the steering wheel is connected by a steering shaft to the steering gear. If such a mechanical connection is omitted due to an electronic control of the respective component, a corresponding feedback about the conditions of the machine part and the machine/vehicle to be simulated is not provided to the operator. In such a case, the technology known from simulator technology is utilized, namely by the operating element or steering wheel being acted upon by forces using an adjusting device, which is controlled by a suitable control unit, such that a conventional operating characteristic for the operating element may be produced. As a result, an operation of the respective function controlled by the operating element which is as realistic as possible is simulated to an operator.
Extensive assistance during the operation of a utility vehicle is, however, made known to the operator visually or possibly acoustically by warning display elements. In this case, primarily warning lights are provided which indicate a critical state of the utility vehicle, for example that of an excessive temperature of the engine oil or of the coolant above a predetermined upper threshold.